Suitcase Pickings

Here's the thing. I leave for China on Saturday around 7:00pm. What is the biggest obstacle that stands before me currently, on my to-do list? I can't pick out a suitcase.

I just took the 50 or so steps into my garage. I flipped on the switch, and made my way through the antique maze. Turning ever so carefully around each tight corner and past the fridge (I grabbed a Diet Root Beer to calm my nerves, but I should have gone for a Coke), I arrived in the narrow corridor of stuff. Surrounded by skyscraper shelves from Costco, I looked up towards the harsh lighting.

Above me were about 8 luggage options. I stood with my hands at my hips and a contemplative/cautiously excited/nervous/anxious/awkward scowl on my face. Something like the face Obama might make when deciding which pen to use first while signing a new bill. Too many options, that differ so slightly to not make a difference, ushers a load of confusion on a person. While my decision does not have national implications and was not being televised, I was equally daunted by the task at hand. Picking out a suitcase is the number one priority on my list of domestic policy tasks.

Sip after sip of Diet Root Beer, I continued staring.

I considered several factors. Which is least likely to look foreign? This lead me to deciding that I should definitely not carry a Samsonite. Everyone in America uses a Samsonite. And, I probably should avoid anything in a red, white and blue color scheme. Not a good idea. It would also be bad to choose Louis Vuitton luggage. Bound to be stolen.

Considering the fact that I don't own Samsonite, patriotic or Louis Vuitton luggage, I was not helping myself. I was still left with 8 options and had not figured how to decide between them.

That's when I decided to do what I always do when I can't make up my mind. Surely, it's the best option. I let fate decide. I simply pointed my finger in the air and went through two rounds of the most politically correct version of "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe" I know. Two rounds because I can't trust a decision this important to only one round. Politically correct because then things are always in my favor. I ended that "moe" with such a burst of energy and assurance!

Decision made. Simple as that. I felt, and still do, feel quite proud of myself. This is a fine example of a true adult making adult decisions using clear logic and reasoning, right? Ok, so this might not be the best way to decide which Subway car to jump on or which street vendor to buy a chicken foot from. Regardless, I used it at a crucial time when I didn't have 525,600 minutes to bounce my thinking between the pros/cons lists of 8 individual suitcases. Besides, that would require one too many cases of Diet Root Beer that I don't have.

Recognizing that I should put my energy into more weighty matters, than picking out a suitcase, is adult enough for this life teaching moment. Never, I repeat NEVER underestimate the assuring power of "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe." I'm off to get packing.